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About Us

We’ve been getting it right for clients for more than 150 years. We succeed by continuously evolving our expertise, employing the best people and focusing on the needs of the businesses and organisations we support.

Our Firm

Always at the heart of Australian business

Makinson d’Apice has long been part of Australia’s business fabric. Since putting down our roots in 1859, we have operated at the forefront of developments and loyally supported our clients with expert advice as the commercial and legal environments have evolved.

Today we are a practice of over 100 people and work with enterprises and organisations that are succeeding at the very highest levels. Our clients range from private companies to listed corporations and from charities and religious organisations to state and federal government and private individuals. They value the top tier service and level of expertise we deliver, which is unique for a firm our size.

Over the years we have continued to diligently acquire the market, legal and procedural knowledge complementary to our clients’ needs. We are undoubtedly dynamic, and yet we are subtle in the way we go about things. At Makinson d’Apice we anticipate change, adapt, innovate and create solutions upon which our clients’ and our own success can be sustained long into the future.

Our client-centric philosophy

Putting clients at the centre of everything

At Makinson d’Apice, the focus has always been on how we perform for our clients and what we achieve on their behalf. As such, we’ll take the time to understand you, the sectors you work in and the markets you serve. Being so closely involved underpins our promise of ‘exceptional performance, without the song and dance’.

Clients provide the rationale for our development and the drive to continually enhance our capabilities. When you meet with us, you will find the senior levels of legal expertise expected in a significant law firm. But, more than that, you will also recognise a professional culture in which value, relationships and service excellence are integral to who we are and what we do. As a Makinson d'Apice client you can be sure we will always put your agenda first.

Our philosophy has teamwork at its heart. We are transparent in our dealings and interact with clients as partners. In fact, Makinson d'Apice client relationships often span a great many decades.

Our story and values

Values that deliver the promise

The law rarely works in a straight line from A to B. However, the Makinson d’Apice approach accommodates this by being structured, efficient, purposeful and responsive. We employ no superfluous activities and make no unnecessary diversions.

All that we do and every aspect of our business, is focused by a set of core, client centred, values:

Commitment
We will use all available resources to maximise our effectiveness in helping you reach your goals.

Accountability
We take ownership of our role and accept accountability for the quality of our work.

Service
Our clients are our priority. We will endeavour to always provide you with effective and timely legal solutions.

Collaboration
We will be transparent in our client relationships, willingly share our knowledge and work together as a team.

National and international connections

Local with a national and international reach

Makinson d'Apice clients have access to a seamless, complete legal service stretching across Australia, New Zealand and around the world.

We achieve this by being a member of the MSI Global Alliance. MSI is an international network of independent, English speaking, legal and accounting firms and has over 250 member firms in more than 100 countries. Significantly, we are one of 15 independent legal and accounting firms within the MSI Australia and New Zealand region.

There is no substitute for local knowledge of the court system and tax compliance requirements when it comes to getting things done. It is because of this that MSI alliance firms are required to be among the most respected professional service providers in their marketplaces. We all share a common desire to offer expert solutions to the multi-state and cross-border challenges faced by many clients today.

Through our MSI membership, you can be confident that Makinson d'Apice will support you with reliable local expertise wherever in the world you operate, provide services or do business.

CSR / Pro Bono

Care for the community

With our long standing at the centre of Australian business, it is perhaps not surprising that we take our corporate social responsibilities very seriously. Makinson d’Apice is a practice with a heart. As a company and as individuals, in ways big and small, we give time and effort to support the local communities in which we operate and to help society and the environment at large.

Our firm, our partners and our employees have a proud tradition of providing services to the community. So much so that Makinson d’Apice is a past recipient of the Law Society of New South Wales' Pro Bono Award in recognition of our voluntary legal services.

Our Chairman, Bill d’Apice, has received a Papal Knighthood for services to the Catholic Church. Richard d’Apice, one of our Special Counsel, was awarded membership of the Order of Australia for services to the community in 1996 and also a Papal Knighthood for his services to the Catholic Church.